ERRIN is very pleased to announce that many of its member regions have been selected by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) – European Commission's Science & Knowledge Service – to run events in the framework of the Science meets Parliaments/ Science meets Regions pilot project, funded by the European Parliament.

The project will bring together scientists, policymakers and citizens to explore locally relevant issues with the help of scientific evidence. The events organised at the initiative of local stakeholders, are meant to show what science can do for policy, also at a very local and concrete level, with impact on people's everyday lives.

ERRIN members had the opportunity to learn more about the pilot project at the several breakfast discussions with the JRC organised and hosted by the ERRIN Secretariat in the past months.

About the pilot project

The Science meets Parliaments project was launched in 2015 by the JRC together with the European Parliament.

In line with the JRC's overall mission, the project aimed to foster evidence-informed policymaking by building closer links and regular dialogue between scientists and policymakers.

Regions and cities are key partners in implementing European legislation, policies and financial instruments, and have the power to catalyse change and enable citizens' involvement. Therefore, Science meets Regions was launched in collaboration with the Committee of the Regions in 2016.

The success of these projects prompted the European Parliament to fund the pilot Science meets Parliaments/ Science meets Regions project in 2018/2019, expanding the scope of the initiative to more European countries and regions.